


A Night in the Woods

by ZDusk



Series: SSO Medieval AU [19]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: i couldnt think of anything better fffff, i gotta do this more often, it was nice to dust off me skills, man writing this was fun but rly tiring, sso - Freeform, sso medival au, wow what an original title
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-14 02:03:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11773185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZDusk/pseuds/ZDusk
Summary: Duchess Zelda and her horse Phantom find themselved lost in the dangerous Firgrove woods - with night closing in.





	A Night in the Woods

The sound of Phantom’s hoof beats against the grass and the pounding of her own heart were the only things Duchess Zelda of Firgrove could hear as her black steed thundered through the forest bordering her village. Images of bared fangs and sharp claws raced through her mind as she urged the horse on faster. 

It had been horrible - a small group of Firgrove knights, herself, and Firgrove’s famed knight commander, Eden Dawnvalley, had been travelling to Silverglade to answer a summons when the dire wolves had attacked. They leapt from seemingly nowhere in a flurry of snarls and angry barks, launching themselves at the legs of the knight’s horses in order to injure the beasts and make quick work of their riders. Immediately springing in to action, the horses stamped their heavy hooves down upon their attackers - turning some of the threatening snarls to worried yelps - while the knights fended them off with freshly sharpened swords and spears. Most impressive of all the fighters was Madam Dawnvalley, who inflicted several wounds on the biggest of the wolves with such grace and elegance one could swear she was almost dancing and not, in fact, battling for her and her steed’s life with the fiercest predators in the area.

However, the Duchess’ horse Phantom, was not as used to these attacks as the battle hardened steeds of the knights. Albeit doing her best to calm the horse down, Duchess Zelda couldn’t do much when a wolf snapped at the fetlock of the steed’s left front leg. Startled, Phantom lashed out before rushing head first into the forest surrounding them - and it was not long before Zelda could no longer see the path from which they came, nor could she hear the cries of battle.

Eventually, Phantom’s frantic pace slowed down to a canter, and from a canter, to a full halt. He gasped for breath; his sides heaving as he tried to fill his lungs with air once again, his head stooped low, nose almost touching the ground. Zelda quickly slid off him to kneel by his side and asses the damage, her heart still pounding like crazy. His leg was injured - but not fatally. The wolf had only managed to graze him before Phantom lashed out and prevented further injury to himself. The Duchess stood up to her full height again and wrapped her arms around her horse’s stooped neck.

“Oh, Phantom, you poor darling…that was quite the scare, was it not?” she whispered softly to him. He responded with a snort, and picked his head back up. He turned to look at her, his eyes seeming almost…sad. It was his fault that they were stranded in the woods with no defenses, and he seemed to know this. However, Zelda did not hold this against him. She would have run too, had she been completely defenceless against her opponent. Reaching out, she gently stroked his nose in an attempt to convey these feelings to him.

Without another word, she picked up his reins and began to wander off - it was not a good idea to stay put in the forest, especially with twilight almost upon them. She was not sure where she was going, but she hoped she wasn’t offering herself up for more misfortune to do with her as it pleased.

\----------------------------

Two hours later saw the Duchess and her horse searching out a place to stay, enveloped by the calm,dark stillness that night brought. They had found the Silversong river a mere thirty minutes earlier, where they had cleaned themselves of mud and dirt, and drank their fill of water. It wasn’t the cleanest of waters, of course, but it was preferable to going thirsty for the night.

When Zelda thought all hope was beginning to fade, Phantom’s quiet nicker alerted her to something in the distance. It looked to be a cave, embedded in the wall of a cliff. Forgetting instantly about her aching feet, the Duchess hiked up her skirts and rushed towards the opening, her faithful steed trotting behind her as she went. Upon further inspection, the cave seemed to be empty - it didn’t have any concealed chambers either, meaning nothing could be hiding in wait for an unsuspecting victim like herself. Stepping in to the cave caused her footsteps to echo, which sent an involuntary shiver up her spine. She knew she had her Phantom with her, but the sound made her feel awfully…alone. And that’s when the reality of the situation weighed itself down on her.

She was lost in the Firgrove woods- which was plagued with dire wolves and a number of other creatures - with no protection, and no way of knowing which direction the village was in. Her breath hitched in her throat, tears gathering in her eyes. Phantom approached her and gently butted her with his nose, and that was all that it took for her to break down into tears, turning and burying her face in to his mane.

\----------------------------

Another hour later, Zelda was taking Phantom’s tack off to allow him a comfortable rest.

“I am sorry, Phantom…I wish I knew how to make things more comfortable in this situation, but I have not yet come to the “What to do should you get stranded in the woods” part of my classes yet,” commented the Duchess with a dry laugh, her throat a little sore from crying.

She left his tack down gently against a wall of the cave, and turned to watch as he flopped down on the stone ground. She couldn’t help but wince, knowing she would later have to clean him of the dust he would surely gather by lying on the ground. Shaking her head, she moved to lie down against him - the dust was a small price to pray for a place to sleep, after all. While Phantom was indeed warm, the chill of the cave was still there, and had Zelda missing the warm things she had never really thought about. Her bed, her manor, the embrace of the one courting her - all things she had taken for granted. As she allowed her eyes close, she vowed to always extend a friendly hand to the travelers and the poor who had to endure this every night.

\----------------------------

Early the next morning, Zelda had tacked Phantom up again, and the two began to explore again in the hopes of finding their way home - and it was now nearing midday. Zelda was debating stopping to rest when she heard the telltale sound of hooves on the ground, approaching her position rapidly. Not five minutes later, Commander Dawnvalley appeared from the foliage, astride her magnificent buckskin Friesian sport horse, Phoenix - followed shortly by Commander Moorland of Silverglade. Eden barely recognised the woman and horse before her, as both were covered in dirt - but it was the Firgrove colours and the emblem on the horse’s saddle blanket that tipped her off to who it was. With a gasp, she dismounted and rushed to the young woman.

“Zelda! Thank goodness you are unharmed! I have been looking for you since Phantom bolted off last night, but the area was far too big, so I asked Sir Justin for his aid in finding you,” Eden explained as she checked the Duchess for any injuries, while Justin dismounted. Filled with relief, Zelda tossed her arms around Eden’s shoulders.

“Oh, Eden, I was so scared! The night was so long, and I had no idea where I was, and Phantom’s leg was hurt…I was sure I would not be seeing the village for days to come,” Zelda pulled away with a tearful smile, glancing back and forth between her two saviors. “Thank you, both of you, for coming to my rescue.”

Justin placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, attempting to wipe at some mud on the Duchess’ cheek with his other hand. “But of course, your Grace. It would not do to leave a maiden stranded in the woods by herself. Come, you may ride with Maxy and I. I am sure Eden would not mind escorting Phantom home.”

The aforementioned had already tied Phantom’s reins to the pommel of Phoenix’s saddle, and was mounting Pheonix again. Justin helped Zelda on to Maxy’s back and then pulled himself up in front of her, allowing her to secure her arms around his waist. She rested her head against his back, uncaring toward the chill of his armor, and he allowed himself an affectionate smile. Eden pulled up beside him, Phantom in tow, and the two knights set a course for Firgrove.

“Come now, let us get you home and cleaned up.” Those were the last words Zelda heard from Justin before she lapsed in to a slumber that lasted the whole way home.


End file.
